


Mistaken Identity

by Aenyse



Series: Orange Knight Chronicles [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Drunken Flirting, Flirting, Jedi, M/M, Military, Military Ranks, Rebellion Era (Star Wars)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:47:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27939920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aenyse/pseuds/Aenyse
Summary: Zig is a normal togruta, fighting for the Alliance. But, after his first mission with his squad goes goes off without a hitch, he has a little too much to drink. His escapades (and flirting) come back to haunt him though, in the medal presentation ceremony, to celebrate Delta Squad's entry into the Rebel Alliance.
Relationships: Original Male Character/Original Male Character, Xxeres/Zig
Series: Orange Knight Chronicles [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2048123





	1. Chapter 1

_After the death of the Emperor, the Empire is in disarray. The Rebel Alliance have been fighting hard to make gains, but the Empire have reorganised themselves and are still a looming threat to the galaxy._

_Following their first mission together after training for six months, Delta Squad have returned to their base. As they await their next assignment, they celebrate the success of their first mission ..._


	2. Chapter 2

“Congratulations boys!” Greyson called as he handed out another round of shots. Zig took his, looking at it gingerly. He’d had far more to drink than he’d been expecting, and another shot was not something he needed right then.

“Here’s to Delta Squad.” Mack agreed, holding his up in the air. The rest of them all chinked their glasses with his, before downing their shots in one. Zig did just the same, bringing his hand up to his mouth as he felt his stomach churn. Breathing deep, he desperately hoped he wouldn’t throw up. The last thing he needed was the guys on his back about being a light-weight. It wasn’t his fault that togrutas handled alcohol worse than most other species.

Quietly, Zig began to back away from the rest of his squad, concerned by their talk of another round. He needed a break from drinking, a chance to get some air. He turned around and began walking towards the door. But before he could escape, he felt someone catch his arm. Turning to face the hand’s owner, Lex’s face greeted him.

“You’re bailing?” Lex asked accusingly. “Already? The night is still young!”

“Maybe for you, but I’m way too drunk.” Zig admitted.

“Surely not already.” Lex said, chuckling.

“If you weren’t on your meds, you’d be just as bad.” Zig glanced over to the rest of their squad, who were all visibly drunk. “Just look at them.” He laughed, pointing towards them.

“You know that I would be if I could.” Lex replied, rolling his eyes. “But med droid’s orders stand.” Lex had been the squad’s only casualty in their mission. He’d taken a shrapnel wound, pushing Mack out of a grenade’s way. Lex had insisted that the med droid had nearly had to amputate his leg, but the rest of the squad knew he was exaggerating. Either way, his injury had been enough to stop him finishing the mission, and it had left something of a chip on his shoulder. Especially given the way that some of the guys were joking about it.

“I’m gonna get some air. If the guys ask, tell them I’ve scored.” He winked at Lex.

“And lie to my comrades?” Lex asked, mocking shock.

“You’ll owe me one if you do.” Zig shrugged. “Or tell them the truth. Either way, I’m going.” He said.

“Enjoy your _date_.” Lex winked, before turning around to rejoin the rest of their squad. Zig wondered if they would notice he was gone, but didn’t linger in the bar to find out. Climbing up the stairs to the entrance, Zig walked out onto the street and turned to walk back towards the rebel base.

The Alliance had been in this base for nearly six months, it was one of the longest serving bases they’d had in a while, according to what Zig had heard. He believed it. In the two months that he’d been fighting with them before they’d moved into this one, they’d moved bases four times. But something about this base seemed to work for them, and Rebel Command were starting to make fortifications for it to become more permanent.

As Zig walked along the street, he watched the people who were out at this time of night, as they went about their business. Zig always liked watching people do normal things, it was somehow fascinating how they lived completely normal lives in spite of the war. He watched two twi’leks walking out of a restaurant together, holding hands. They were probably a couple, judging by the way they were snuggling with one another.

Eventually, Zig came to a junction, and he had to make a choice. He could either head right and circle around the block. That would take him back to the bar and he could resume his celebrations with the rest of his squad. But as Zig still felt a little nauseous, he decided that wasn’t the best of ideas. Instead, he turned left, heading back towards their base.

The walk back to the base was just over a mile and a half, and Zig was glad for it. He wanted to clear his head before he got back, since the officers could sometimes be a bit harsh if you were drunk in the base. As he approached the half-way point, Zig wasn’t feeling quite as sober as he’d have liked. His head was still a little fuzzy and his path wasn’t straight enough to fool any officer. So he decided to take a small path that led from the road out to the gardens.

The gardens themselves weren’t huge, but they were very pleasant to walk around. At night, several of the plants glowed slightly, giving the whole area a very relaxing, peaceful mood. The lighting was enough to stop there being any dark corners or shadows, but it was gentle at the same time. Zig had walked around a couple of times before, he enjoyed spending some of his freetime there. It was a little corner of peace and quiet, away from the Alliance, away from the Empire, away from the war.

As Zig strolled along the paths, enjoying the atmosphere, he soon came to the main terrace which looked out over the lower levels of the gardens. Walking towards the fencing, he leant against it, looking out at the couple of other people that were wandering around. He took a deep breath, savouring the fresh air.

Looking around, Zig noticed someone standing off to his side, a few metres away. It was another man, wearing a long cloak with the hood up. But his hood was pulled back, so it only covered the back of his head and Zig could see his face clearly. He had a strong jaw and a straight nose, his skin was a muted blue with black, vine-like markings covering the sides of his face and continuing down to his neck. As he turned to look at Zig, he saw his deep magenta eyes with flecks of gold in them, they seemed to glow in the darkness.

It was only as Zig noticed the other man’s frown that he realised he was staring. Quickly looking away, he cursed himself, annoyed that he’d been gawking. But he couldn’t escape the fact that he thought the other man was incredibly good looking. Perhaps he would feel the same? Well, there would be only one way to find out.

Steeling himself, he walked over to stand a little closer to the other man. “Good evening.” He greeted, smiling pleasantly at him.

The other man glanced over to Zig before looking back out over the gardens again. “Good evening.” He replied. His voice had a strange accent that Zig didn’t recognise. It seemed a bit more harsh than most other Basic speakers, but Zig found it strangely nice.

“The gardens really are quite beautiful at this time of night, aren’t they?” Zig asked, trying to start a conversation.

The other man looked back at him again, a puzzled frown on his face. “Yes, they are.” He agreed, regarding Zig quizzically.

Zig felt a little uncertain, but they were at least having a conversation. He could work with that. “They’re quite nice during the daytime, but at night, they have just something extra about them which just adds a whole other level.” He continued.

“Yes, almost an ethereal quality.” The other man agreed, his frown softening a little.

“That’s exactly the word to describe it!” Zig agreed. “I’m Zig, by the way.” He said, introducing himself and holding out his hand for the other man to shake.

The other man looked down at Zig’s hand, confused. “Zig?” He asked, before cautiously taking his hand and shaking it gently. “Is that a nickname?” He asked.

Zig chuckled, he was used to it. “Yeah, the guys call me Zig, because my surname is Zigiros.” He said. “My name is Plato, but I prefer Zig.” He explained.

“Oh.” The other man replied, tilting his head slightly sideways as he regarded Zig.

“So, what can I call you?” Zig asked, wondering what his name might be.

The other man was confused for a moment. “You don’t recognise me?” He asked. “I thought you were a rebel?”

Zig thought for a moment, quickly taking another look at the man stood in front of him. “No?” He said, wondering if he should. He raked his brains trying to work out if he’d trained with him at some point or not.

“Xxeres?” The other man offered. “Xxeres Cyyr?” The way he said it made it seem like Zig should’ve known.

Zig continued to think. Xxeres’ name was ringing a bell somewhere in the back of his mind, but he couldn’t figure it out. “Have we met before?” He asked.

“I don’t think so.” Xxeres said, his confusion turning to bemusement as he watched Zig try to figure out where he was from.

“Yeah, I didn’t think so.” Zig said. “I think I’d remember a face like yours.” He added absently.

“Oh?” Xxeres asked, his eyebrow cocked.

Zig realised what he’d just admitted, annoyed that he was being so cavalier with admitting his attraction to Xxeres. Knowing his luck, Xxeres would almost certainly not be into men as well. “Sorry.” He said simply.

Xxeres smiled gently. “No go on, how do you mean?”

Zig thought for a moment, trying not to look too flustered even though he was. “I just meant that you have a … unique appearance.” He said, trying to sound tactful.

Xxeres shook his head, but continued to smile at him. “Thank you for your compliments,” he said. “But I think you may be forgetting yourself. In any case, I have to return to the base.” He said, turning to leave. “May the Force be with you, Zig.” He said, walking away from Zig.

As Zig watched Xxeres leave, he was confused. It was such an odd way for him to leave. Surely Zig was forgetting something important about him. But he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.


	3. Chapter 3

Rubbing at his eyes, Zig hurried along the corridor, towards the briefing room. He was still feeling tired and hadn't quite shaken his hangover from the day before. But even so, they had their weekly briefing that morning, which he was only allowed to miss if he basically was at death’s door. Even though Captain Ascolt would probably only end up talking about their mission.

Walking in, he took a seat towards the back, glad that he hadn't been late. Leaning back in his chair, Captain Ascolt walked through the door. Zig was suddenly quite glad he’d hurried.

"Good morning, gentlemen." He greeted, as he took his place at the front.

"Good morning, sir." The squad replied in unison.

"I would like to start by warning you all that your dalliances the night before last were not unnoticed." He started, looking firmly around at each member of the squad as they exchanged glances with one another. "But, given the circumstances, I believe a warning should suffice.”

Zig breathed a small sigh of relief. He’d been worried they were all about to be saddled with an extra week of latrine duty.

“In lighter news,” Ascolt continued. “Congratulations on the success of your first mission. As I'm sure you can imagine, I'm incredibly proud of how far you have all come. You are now all, officially, rebels." He declared, to a round of clapping and cheers from Delta Squad.

Captain Ascolt had been training them hard for the past six months. They had been a squad of new recruits when they started out. Zig had never held a blaster before he joined the Alliance. But now, he was fighting against the Empire to free the galaxy and restore the Republic, and Zig was proud to call himself a rebel.

As the captain started to list the weekly itinerary, Zig settled back to listen absently. The schedule wasn't usually too different. Some kind of combat training in the morning, before lunch then survival training. After dinner they usually had some kind of guard duty or other job to do. Most days were the same, except for the weekend, where they had either an afternoon or evening off as personal leave time, in addition to the usual breaks they got between training.

But today was different. Zig perked up when Captain Ascolt started talking about a ceremony. "And this afternoon, at 1600, we'll be receiving a visit from one of the higher-ups. They'll be handing out your active service insignias, as well as talking to you about your mission." He said. "I should expect you all to be properly dressed and groomed for the event."

"Sir, yes sir." The squad replied.

"Good. In that case, your training begins in twenty. Dismissed." He concluded, before leaving the briefing room as a quiet chatter began to move through the room.

"How do you think it'll be?" Lex asked, his voice excited.

"Wonder if it'll be a general." Greyson mused.

"You kidding?" Mack scoffed. "Why would they send a general to us lot?"

"You never know!" Greyson replied defensively. "I've heard they tend to talk to their troops."

"That was before." Yuko said. "Now they're all busy planning missions. They don't have time to spend on us."

"Yeah, we might get a commander though." Zig suggested.

"That sounds more likely." Mack agreed.

They gathered together, and began speculating who it might be. There were all sorts of names thrown out; General Organa, Commander Antilles, someone even suggested that the Chancellor herself might make the visit. But whoever they suggested, someone would dismiss them as ‘too important’ for Delta Squad. But surely they had to be someone important, from the way the captain had spoken about them.

“What if it was a jedi?” Greyson suggested quietly, but from the way he said it he obviously didn’t think that would be happening.

“Oh sure, definitely.” Yuko said sarcastically. “In fact, I’m sure all four of them will come to present us with medals.”

Greyson rolled his eyes, pushing Yuko. “You don’t have to be like that.” He said, sounding a little put out.

“I’ll eat my boots if it’s a jedi.” Mack said, laughing. “As much as it’d be cool, I think that might be a tad ambitious.”

Greyson didn’t say anything after that, instead he shrugged and turned to head towards the door. Quickly checking the time, the rest of them realised it was time to head to training as well.

Zig didn’t think about the ceremony again for the rest of the day, everyone was too busy with training to continue speculating who it might be. By the time training was over and Zig was walking into the barracks again, he had completely forgotten about it. That was until Lex reminded him.

“Are you really going to meet the higher-up like that?” He asked, looking Zig up and down. His hands and sleeves were covered in engine oil from the mechanical training they’d had that afternoon.

Zig stared at him. “That’s in half an hour, isn’t it?” He said, his stomach dropping.

“Eh, you have time.” Lex smiled. “Besides, not like you have to wash your hair.” He clapped Zig’s shoulder as he walked past him out of the room.

Zig checked the clock, quickly rushing into the shower to wash the oil and dirt off, before running a towel over himself and getting his uniform on. All in all, it wasn’t bad for twenty minutes of quickly getting ready, as he made the final adjustments in the mirror. He made sure that his uniform was straight and not crumpled, adjusting his insignia so it wasn’t crooked. His boots weren’t the shiniest, but there wasn’t much he could do about it right then. Had he known, he would’ve cleaned and polished them properly the night before. But, for short notice, he didn’t look half bad.

He wished he’d been able to get a cap, like the rest of the guys, but his horns were so big that it made the cap impractical. Captain Ascolt had told him not to bother when they’d all been fitted for their uniforms. Having a cap perched precariously between them just looked silly. But even so, he’d be the only one without one.

Zig arrived in the briefing room, to the hum of chatter between all the squad. As he walked over, he heard Greyson and Mack making a bet that it would be a commander; Greyson was still hopeful for a general but Mack insisted it wouldn’t be. Zig didn’t really care, whoever it was would be higher up than him. He followed their orders, regardless of their rank. The only people who he outranked were the brand new recruits.

“Gentlemen.” Captain Ascolt called out after a while of them all standing around. “Form up.”

The squad moved to stand as a group, three rows of five, stood facing the door. The chairs that normally occupied the room had been pushed back and stacked against the back wall, so there was enough room for them. Glancing to clock at the front of the room, Zig quickly read the time. It was nearly 4pm, they’d soon be finding out who the higher-up would be.

Of all the people to walk through the door, Zig had not been expecting Xxeres. He looked completely different than he had when they last met. He was wearing a silver sleeveless tunic with large cut outs beneath his arms that ran all the way to his waist. Behind him, a silver train dragged out about a metre from his feet. Around his arms were silver bands that matched the rings he wore of both his index fingers.

On his head, he had strange protrusions. They were almost like a twi-lek’s lekku, but they were far thinner and there were a lot of them. Xxeres had them gathered up in a high pony tail that fell down his back, with a small plait running up from his forehead to the silver ring that held them together. Overall, he was the opposite of what Zig had been expecting for a higher-up. Most of the other higher ups were serious, wearing plain uniforms like theirs with just their insignia to distinguish them.

Xxeres slowly looked across the squad, as Captain Ascolt introduced him. “Gentlemen, this is General Cyyr.” He said, as Zig felt himself cringe internally. Xxeres was a General?

Xxeres nodded his head to them, a greeting in a way. Next to him, out of the corner of his eyes, Zig could see Mack barely able to hold in his shock.

“Shall we begin?” Xxeres asked, looking to Captain Ascolt.

“Yes, General.” Ascolt replied. From the side, he pulled out a small case and a holopad. Opening the box, he took out a medal and handed it to Xxeres. “Private Alexander.” He called a moment later.

Lex stepped forward, and Xxeres walked over to him. As he stood to attention, Xxeres fixed the medal to his chest, before taking a step back himself. “Congratulations, Private Alexander.” He said, holding out his hand. Lex took it, shaking it and smiling.

“Thank you, sir.” He replied, before stepping back in line, still smiling.

Captain Ascolt continued calling each of their names, going through the list in alphabetical order. Each man stepped to the front, and Xxeres gave him his medal before congratulating them. Finally, it came to Zig’s turn.

“Private Zigiros.” Captain Ascolt called, as Zig swallowed. He’d been dreading his turn.

Stepping forward, Xxeres walked over to him and began pinning the medal to his uniform. “I take it you recognise me now.” He whispered as he did it, a very small smile at the corner of his lips.

“Sir, I-” Zig started to quietly reply, but Xxeres cut him off as he stepped back.

“Congratulations, Private Zigiros.” He said, stopped Zig where he was.

“Thank you, sir.” Zig said, wanting the ceremony to be over as soon as possible. He shook Xxeres’s hand and returned to his position.

But, instead of leaving, Xxeres stood in front of them, and began talking. Zig suppressed the urge to groan, he just wanted to leave and die of embarrassment somewhere nondescript.

“Congratulations, Delta Squad.” He said, talking to them all. “You have taken the first steps in helping free the galaxy. Your first mission was a success, and I hope you have many more. But remember to not grow complacent. The Empire is prepared for us. Every battle is exactly that, a battle. Celebrate your victory, learn from your mistakes, and continue to fight for the Alliance. And may the Force be with you all.” He said, saluting.

The rest of Delta Squad saluted in return.

“Do you wish to add anything, Captain?” He asked, turning to Ascolt.

“No sir, I couldn’t have said it better myself.” He replied, smiling proudly.

“My thanks, Captain.” Xxeres replied. “In that case gentlemen, you’re dismissed until tomorrow morning.” He turned to leave, with Captain Ascolt joining him, leaving the squad alone in the briefing room.

The guys were immediately on Zig. “What did he say to you?” Greyson, Mack, and Yuko asked him immediately. “We didn’t hear.”

Zig thanked his luck for a moment, that Xxeres had been quiet enough. “It was nothing.” He lied. “Just commented about caps.”

“Rubbish!” Yuko said. “I could see it was something important.”

“Yeah, spill.” Mack agreed.

“It was nothing.” Zig insisted. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go and get my other uniform from the laundry. Engine oil is a pain.” He said, ignoring the guys’ complaints and their begging for what Xxeres had said.

Zig was so embarrassed, he cursed himself as he walked down the corridors, not really paying attention to where he was going. He just needed to walk his annoyance off. How had he managed to not remember Xxeres’ name, it’s not like it wasn’t unique. And he was a Jedi too, the Alliance had him as one of their propaganda darlings. His face was plastered all over the base and on their propaganda for other systems. How could Zig not recognise him?

He was the only one of his species in the Alliance as well. Zig wasn’t sure where he was from, but he could guess that they were an insular people. Xxeres was the first person who Zig had ever seen of his species. He’d definitely seen Xxeres before on posters, and he was certain he must’ve seen him at other ceremonies where all the other Generals were in attendance.

Zig was annoyed, he felt embarrassed and he felt stupid. Especially since Xxeres clearly remembered him. That was the last thing he needed, a General with a grudge against him. He could make his life hell if he wanted. Especially since he wasn’t sure how the Alliance military was with … people like him. He’d been keeping it to himself for a while, since he wasn’t sure how the guys would react. But he also wasn’t sure if he would even be allowed to stay in the military now. Surely they had regulations against it, as far as he knew the Empire definitely had. A bunch of men fighting and living together in close quarters, there had to be rules against it.

Suddenly, Zig saw a flash of silver in his peripheral vision, and felt a hand across his chest. “Whoa there.” He heard Xxeres say.

That was the last thing he needed, he’d been so distracted that he’d nearly walked into the General. Taking a step back, he quickly brushed himself off, looking down at his boots. “I’m so sorry, General.” He said.

“Watch where you’re going, Private.” The other woman with Xxeres scolded, it was General Organa. Great, another general who’s bad side he was on.

“Yes sir. Sorry sir.” Zig quickly said.

Xxeres looked at him for a moment, before he chuckled. “Mistakes happen.” He said, simply. “Perhaps the Force keeps bringing us together.” He joked.

“I think that’s stretching it.” General Organa disagreed, but she didn’t sound as cross as she had a moment ago.

“In any case, pay attention to where you’re walking, Private.” Xxeres told him, before he turned back to General Organa. “Shall we?” He said, gesturing ahead.

“Let’s, I have some documents I need to sign off on.” She said, as the pair walked away.

Zig watched them leave, amazed he hadn’t just been given an extra week of garbage duty for walking into a General, let alone for drunkenly flirting with him. He counted himself lucky as he went to return to his barracks, to enjoy his freetime.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading Mistaken Identity, the first part of the Prelude arc. I hope you enjoyed the story. 
> 
> If you enjoyed it, kudos is always appreciated. Comments are very welcome, especially if you have feedback. If you notice any typos or mistakes, please let me know so I can correct them. Thanks! 
> 
> All people and places in this story are entirely fictional. Any similarity to real places or people (living or dead) is completely coincidental. 


End file.
